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Objective: To assess radiographers' understanding of radiation safety considering the newly approved national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) as an optimization tool for radiation dose. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia among radiographers working at local hospitals in Jeddah city from February to March 2022. The survey comprised of 22 questions involving demographic information; and general information related to radiation dose; CTDIvol and DRLs. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Chi-square test was used to compare demographic groups regarding their distribution of responses with 0.05 as the level of significance. Results: A total of 169 radiographers participated in the study (39 % females, 60 % males). Most of the participants (91 %) were aware of the description of the ALARA principle. It was noted that (47 %) of the participants indicated that the routine scanning protocols are designed by the radiologists. The majority of them (78 %) were confident to manipulate the CT scanning parameters properly. In addition, half of the participants (53 %) were aware of the CTDIvol and DLP. Unexpectedly, none of the demographic variables were significantly associated with the radiographers' knowledge about radiation dose, p-values are > 0.05. Conclusion: Although radiographers demonstrated good knowledge of radiation protection, limited awareness of DRLs was noted among radiographers and lack of implementing and optimizing the local dose of the DRLs in this study. Therefore, education and training for healthcare professionals including radiographers are necessary to enhance clinical practical performance in radiology departments.
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This study aimed to assess the perceptions of staff working at the University of Jeddah (UJ) Medical Center on the possibility of finding new financing methods for the administration and privatization of the primary and specialized medical care services it provides. A questionnaire link was sent online targeting all staff at the UJ Medical Center (n = 141). The questionnaire comprised 17 items under the following sections: demographic information, staff perceptions about the current status of the services provided by the UJ Medical Center and the possibility of finding new financing methods and additional sources of revenue for the administration. Of the 101 questionnaires returned, the majority were filled by males (n = 71; 70.3%). One-third of the participants (n = 39; 38.6%) have between 5 and 9 years of working experience in Medical Administration, and most of them (n = 42; 41.6%) reported that they have a background in the concept of revenue development/privatization/self-resources/paid treatment. Most were satisfied with the current status of the services provided (average rating = 3.39/5). However, most participants (n = 72; 71.3%) reported that the UJ Medical Center is not ready for the Revenue Development Project of privatization. The survey respondents demonstrated satisfaction with the medical services provided by the UJ Medical Center and the potential application of the Revenue Development Project. However, streamlining the privatization process according to the governmental structures is crucial for it to be implemented properly at the UJ Medical Center.
RESUMEN
Purpose: To identify factors influencing Saudi students to choose radiography as their academic major and future career field. Material and Method: This study involved quantitative (online questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interview) approaches. An online questionnaire was distributed among (n = 308) students. The questionnaire contained 30 questions covering the following three domains: economy, vocational and personal. A total of 25 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposive sampling of radiography students in seven universities (public and private) across the western region of Saudi Arabia. Interview responses were coded, and main themes were extracted based on Miles and Huberman's framework. Results: The findings demonstrated that radiography was the first option as profession for 44% of the study participants. Several factors that study participants considered important were in the realm of patient care, helping patients, radiographer-patient relations, science-based profession, and the desire to work in the healthcare system. A few participants (14%) reported that they are planning to change their profession to another medical speciality. Four themes were identified from the interviews: 1) Profession decision-making, 2) changing career", 3) difficulties and challenges, and 4) recommended radiography as a profession. Conclusion: The results of the study support the need to bridge the gap between high school, universities, and employment through a collaborative network to assist students in exploring their career path by providing sufficient information and experience.